Mercedes-Benz has partnered with Mastercard to introduce embedded in-car payments at the point of sale. Through this collaboration, customers will be able to use a fingerprint sensor in their car to complete convenient and secure digital payments at service stations in Germany.
Mercedes-Benz is one of the first automakers to integrate Mastercard Secure Card on File for Commerce Platforms technology for online payments into its vehicles and comes as consumers are increasingly turning to biometric payment options like fingerprint scanners.
Franz Reiner, board chairman for Mercedes-Benz Mobility AG, said in a news release the partnership is already working on further integrations, with this one designed to make payments easier for the company’s customers.
From now on, they can pay their fuel bill directly from their car using their fingerprint — simply, securely, and conveniently. An intuitive payment process and a best-in-class customer experience lay the foundation for the success of digital offerings.
Franz Reiner
Mercedes’ new in-car payments solution comes courtesy of its Mercedes pay+ division, which was launched in 2018 to make Mercedes vehicles a payment device as well as a car.
Its proprietary fingerprint technology will be integrated into the MBUX infotainment system and allow for transaction data to be encrypted using uniquely assigned cryptograms, thus protecting sensitive payment information.
The system works automatically, so when a driver reaches a fuelling station, the Mercedes Me Fuel & Pay service automatically starts on the MBUX infotainment system.
Drivers can then select the appropriate gas pump and will be shown a calculated maximum total price amount based on current fuel prices – before refueling has even started. Once refueled, drivers will see an invoice amount to their Mastercard debit or credit card on the MBUX display.
The service is now live with Mastercard debit and credit cards in current Mercedes models; although of course, it is currently only available at select service stations in Germany that will accept this form of payment.
Eligible consumers can use their German-issued debit or credit Mastercard by registering it in the Mercedes Me user account and activating it in-car through Mercedes pay+ on the MBUX infotainment system.
